Pre-construction preparation for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm has been completed after contractor N-Sea successfully finished a six-month campaign to clear the offshore array site and export cable corridor of unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The completion of this crucial safety phase means the site is now ready for the installation of the project’s monopile foundations to begin in December 2025.

Operating from the offshore support vessel 4Winds, the N-Sea team investigated a 150 square-kilometre site and an 85-kilometre cable corridor. The comprehensive pre-construction campaign identified and investigated a total of 395 potential UXO targets using a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV).

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The campaign confirmed the discovery of 86 UXOs in total. These included a diverse range of items, such as anti-submarine weapons, projectiles, depth charges, British buoyant sea mines, and German Luftmine B (LMB) parachute mines.

While most of the confirmed ordnance could be avoided or worked around during subsequent construction, a total of 38 UXOs required disposal to ensure the safety of the main offshore installation activity.

The disposals were carried out using a specialized low order deflagration technique. This controlled process ignites and burns out the explosive content inside the ordnance without causing a detonation, with the remaining debris subsequently removed. Specifically designed and shaped charges were placed next to the target ordnance using the Dorset-based ECS Special Projects' Cobra System, one of only two systems recognised by the UK Government for this type of offshore activity.